Boundless
by Bella.oreo1
Summary: Affected by the unrelenting war, the Nidaime Hokage sends her back in time during the Warring Clans Period. With Katsuya on her shoulder, Kurama's chakra within her system, and the Nidaime's faith bestowed onto her, Sakura must make peace with her past and fight for a better future. But Tobirama is a distraction. Time-Travel TobiramaXSakura
1. Petals over blood

**Chapter 1:**

Unfocused eyes stared unblinking at the sky that was blanketed in dark clouds. The fresh drops kissed her blood-drenched face and body, leaving areas that were touched tingly from the cold drops. She paid no heed to it, just let the heavens weep for her and those who remained alive, those who still had to endure the pain of fighting the war that was nearly lost. Her time was nearly over though, her body motionless as her head faced heavenward with no will to avert it.

Her once jade orbs, full of fierce and burning valor, were now turning a glassy moss-green shade having been drained from the war, also indicating her time was nearly up. With two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a gaping hole through her abdomen, it was a miracle she was still breathing, albeit with much difficulty.

She had let her guard down for a second too long. The prolonged exhaustion made her own limbs seem foreign to her, aimlessly dragging her body forward robotically. She didn't even register to fight back before seeing the treelike arm extend and push through her midsection like butter. Zetsu left the woman to collapse in a heap mercilessly, not abandoning her before making sure she saw his smirk of pure arrogance and victorious intent. The woman supposed she wasn't worth the effort to be finished off immediately.

She only had a few minutes at most to live, as her blood was escaping her tattered figure like a steadily flowing river, not pausing as it left every open scrape and wound.

It was rather humorous how irony played out, that the very woman who surpassed the great Tsunade, and who had the reputation to heal any wound thrown at her, wasn't able to treat her own injuries. All those strenuous hours of studying jutsu after jutsu deemed no use in her current life or death situation.

Her mentor and teammates always pestered her for her stubbornness, as they attempted many times to make her see her own limitations and follow through on them as a medic-nin. But Sakura was a compassionate woman by nature, and would rather cut her leg off than turn her head away from a patient. This trait led to her downfall on the battlefield, as she could barely lift a finger nor channel her chakra to heal the gaping hole that used to be her midsection.

She was calm of all things. Despite all that happened, she was grateful that she was blessed with dying alone. She could reflect back on her friends' smiles and laughter, to the memories they all shared. She can die with smiles and not have to have their tears of despair collapse on her face.

She let out a loud and strained cough, spewing out blood collected in her mouth as well. She was drowning in her own blood, the very thing that kept her alive for all this time was now killing her. Her favorite color has always been red. It was always a color of warmth, compassion, strength, love...but after being in the war for two years, all she ever saw was red, from the blood of her loved ones and her enemies. Red in war meant only death.

It tore at her heart every time when a loved one would die in her arms or she wouldn't make it in time to see their last breath.

She was useless after everything, she only had Naruto left. He was still fighting hard and leading those who remained to fight. She still felt the vibrations from the explosions of jutsus and bombs radiating from the earth. But she felt nothing anymore, she was numb. Her face draining of blush. A ghostly parlor made way with splotches of blood decorating her body, making the contrast of white skin all the more prominent.

The war had hardened her. Her surroundings and sense of responsibility led her to be hard as steel. On the contrary, her heart was still beating, and as long as it kept beating, she would always be emotional. Even if she displayed a poker face, her emotions would be boiling on the inside of her. Though her emotions were what drove her to protect others and keep her Will of Fire alive, it was her downfall in the end. Not even being able to heal her own self and dodge a simple attack. Her Byakugou pulsed weakly atop her forehead. She knew if her body wasn't in shock from all the wounds, her pain would be beyond bearable.

Sakura had made peace with her own death for a long time. After all, Shinobi were born to die fighting. She was the one who helped motivate the other shinobi to fight without fear, declaring it was better to die fighting than doing nothing at all. During her musings and not minding that her life was flashing before her eyes, Sakura vaguely distinguished the sound of Katsuya coming over to her shoulder.

"Sakura-sama! Don't worry, I'll heal you with my remaining chakra!" The slug reassured Sakura while hurriedly pulsing her chakra into Sakura's wounds.

But the Kunoichi would have none of it. And forced her vocal chords to mumble out, "No...don't waste on me." It came out in gurgles due to the accumulating blood still in her mouth. But it was audible enough for Katsuya to look back and answer her master firmly.

"Naruto-kun strongly demanded to have you healed. He sensed your chakra fading with his Sage mode. Nidaime Hokage teleported me here and is searching for other survivors."

Sakura should've known the blonde boy would be looking out for her. She also knew the Yondaime Hokage was exceptional at teleportation jutsu but wouldn't leave his son on the battlefield, so it made sense for Nidaime Hokage to teleport here.

Katsuya's healing chakra contained the Kyuubi's combined with hers so Sakura felt the foreign powerful chakra enter her system, courtesy of Naruto she figured.

Her strength was coming back to her as she threw away the notion that she was allowed to die right there as her cheeks regained a healthy peach hue, her eyes no longer glassy and unblinking. But as she forced her arms to support her back off the ground her legs still contained the brunt of her exhaustion, and behaved like jelly. Ignoring Katsuya's gentle words to wait a minute to let her body accept the new chakra, she pushed her weight off the ground. She still had the Will of Fire in her and can now fight again, she had to try and die with more purpose this time, not by inattentiveness as she nearly did few minutes prior.

Lifting her head and scanning her surroundings she saw the Nidaime himself approach her with his red eyes surrounded by black. While walking to her place he pulled long metal spears that impaled his back and one from his skull. His face showing that of crestfallen features, not the serious, adamant man she saw the first time upon his arrival on the battlefront.

Even the already deceased became exhausted and waned of hope. His poise was more sagged, not feeling he'll receive a peaceful sleep in a coffin for a while, as long as Madara and Kaguya were alive.

He returned her gaze in silent understanding, before addressing her verbally.

"Even Naruto is sensing the war to be lost soon. There are more allies dead than there are alive. Even with my grandniece's and your healing prowess and strength, death still occurs. Soon Naruto may be the only one left alive and to him, there will be nothing left saving. As the king of a nation, or village, is the children and citizens and shinobi combined, not the Hokage. Naruto realized this and asked to have you found and relocate you somewhere safe-"

"N-No! I will not cower and run away! I am a Shinobi and will fight all I have." The kunoichi refuted as audible as she could with her strained vocal chords. Despite her almost dying, she now had power and strength to help out with the war, even if it was a lost cause, she didn't get her chakra reserves replenished to turn her back on her comrades when they needed her.

"If we don't save those left then the war will have been for nothing, those who died would have been killed in vain. They all fought to be free and save the future generations. Even here, you are the only one left breathing. Your Will of Fire is deeply admired and your devotion to your comrades, but now you must retreat." Tobirama responded to the pinkette calmly, scooping her up swiftly in his arms bridal style before her legs gave out again.

While Sakura contemplated what happened, she observed with awe as the Nidaime Hokage used his left hand to perform seals and she subconsciously held on to the Shinobi tighter as blinding white light flashed and enveloped them entirely.

"I'm already a dead man, but you can make things all right. Madara wouldn't have succumbed to the Curse of Hatred if not for my killing his brother. You can fix this, and prevent this future." He spoke seriously to her, while Katsuya cushioned herself in Sakura's right pocket of her Jounin vest. The history books wrote Tobirama as a serious and dangerous Shinobi, but it was clear as day that he had his heart and loyalty out to his comrades and village, which is how he ended up dead in the first place, by sacrificing himself to save his team.

Still holding onto the Kunoichi tightly, every part of her body tingled and vibrated as she felt her limbs being stretched to impossible lengths and spiraling towards a gaping hole, losing conscious along the way. Her body became colder as Tobirama's arms left her in millions of floating pieces.

Then she fell.

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 **Thank you for reading my first chapter of my story! If you have any comments, questions or anything to say, feel free to PM me or Review, I appreciate all feedback and ways to improve my writing style.**


	2. Crimson Flames

**Chapter 2:**

She was falling.

Plummeting towards the earth with no mercy from the gravitational pull that would soon have the woman's head planted in the ground unceremoniously.

The cerulean sky whizzed past her at alarming rates. Her eyes willed themselves to remain open at least until she could ensure her safety upon her quickly approaching destination. Her thick lashes were having trouble battling against the forceful wind to stay open and alert to her surroundings. She had a sense of when she would make contact and readied her arms to be slightly bent to diminish the amount of impact that would rattle her body as not to induce a concussion on herself.

Katsuya was now absent from the pocket of her Jounin vest, having apologized to her superior with regret laced in her tone, as her time was up. Sakura and Tsunade had summoned the slug to be a respectable size to heal the remaining alliance forces but a contract had its time limits, no matter the dire situation. The mollusk wanted to help her master make a soft landing by enveloping her completely in her form. But the summoning contract was one of the most stringent of paperwork and firmly had a set of rules both parties had to comply with. Also, the slug could only transform in size equal to the amount of chakra Sakura contained and same was with her healing ability. Making an effort to keep her appearance concealed from Sakura, Katsuya pushed the remaining chakra into her masters system before making her departure in a puff of smoke, but not before her master furrowed her brow in worry upon discovering her summon carried a more orange tint in her slippery skin than white and blue. She would address that topic at a later notice.

Still having her arms poised, the Jounin impulsively bent her elbows inward as her fingers brushed against the lush grass before using her momentum to push off and land on her feet.

She gave out an irritated grunt, biting her lip tenderly to keep from letting out a soft curse. Her arms were still aching from her last medical session with a patient who underwent seizure under her care. The enemy had set off a poison gas in the air a few days prior and any Shinobi who so much as sniffed a minuscule amount ended up on their knees, expelling the contents of their stomachs in pure agony.

It seemed the worst came later, as some experienced hallucinations, slashing at comrades in a vain attempt to keep distance from who they felt were after them, others had a painful death or seizure episode. Her and Shizune managed to make a counteractive antidote that corrected the gears in the brain but they still experienced some trauma in their physical state. Sakura had placed her arms above a Kiri nin's chest and he spasmodically screamed at her whilst pulling her arms from her shoulders, popping them out of place and damaging the joints and tender tissue. The tendons and ligaments, that even with healing, still needed time to adjust back to her strenuous life.

Her arms hung limply at her side as she let her frame slouch in exhaustion. her left foot had plunged in the nearby river, a rock having scraped her shin , leaving a trickle of blood contaminate and diffuse in the pristine waters.

She was grateful for her taijutsu, as building tolerance to unusual situations such as hanging upside down, enabled her brain to be exposed to new stimuli. This left her assured that her neck wouldn't reflexively crane itself to desperately relocate the ground, making her trip downward, more facile in that manner. She wouldn't be able to perform simple moves such as a back-flip without that kind of training and keeping her neck from locating itself in such a manner that would only harm her more. She had her Shishou to thank, as well as Lee.

The blonde had made sure that Sakura was in peak shape and her alertness never subsided at any given time. Tsunade always testing her. And Lee was assigned to guard her medical tent at times while she treated her patients. After long hours of not being away from the tents left her skin turn chalky grey with deep bags accumulating under her eyes, making them half-lidded more that not. She was lacking sunlight and sleep. Lee offered to spar with her and keep her at her most alert when time was given to them. He always held back from her, always cared for her and wouldn't harm a hair on her head. The thought of harming her despite it being a mere spar, left his heart discomforted. Nonetheless he helped her stretch her muscles and correct her trouble areas on many occasions.

The thoughts of her loved ones resurfaced to the pinkette. Their laughter rang in her ears, their radiant smiles taunting her, making her frown the more deeper, lips quivering more each passing second. Her stoic facade receded, contorting to what reflected in her heart, rendering her to give in to her despair. She willed herself to acknowledge her own figure in the water. Sakura did not recognize the woman staring back at her with hollow green eyes. Their was no light to them, drained of energy and her once feisty demeanor.

She vaguely registered that her petal pink hair grayed from the ash and smoke exposure, but her face gave away the slightest raising of her dainty eyebrows at the realization that the ends of her hair were drenched in the river. _'What the hell?'_ She always cropped it shoulder-length. Fisting locks of her hair in her hands she scowled deeply, gritting her teeth in her frustration, _' What the HELL?!'_ She pulled on it, making her own skull ache on top of her migraine and roughly pushed the pink satin to fall behind on her back.

Deciding to revert back to her mirror, her eyes held resentment next on her face. Her Yin seal mocked her. Her biggest achievement was really only a showcase of her failure. Years of delicate chakra preservation to her forehead meant nothing when going into the war. She was disgusted with herself. With much exertion of her sore arms, she angrily splashed her reflection away , disheveling the marine creatures below in the water's depths. She was rattling with broken sobs, shivering as her knees gave out and her petite figure pushed her head to bow completely on the soft vibrant earth, the pressure she induced on her abdomen caused her to furrow her brow to knit together, a sweat accumulating adjacent her tightly shut eyes. Sakura fought back the bile lodged in her throat, letting her pent up rage and despair leak through her punch at the green floor. Shaking and vibrating in sync with her trembling figure. Loose fragments of rock lazily tumbled into the water from her blow.

' _This is just a joke, it's a cruel hard joke!'_ Maybe if she kept repeating that it would be true She was merely being careless again and any minute now the lush forest and steadily flowing river would recede back to her own burnt and charred forest-what was left of it. Her concentration and desperate and futile shouts of _'Kai!_ ' only demonstrated to her that it wasn't a high-level genjutsu.

The Nidaime had thrown her into another completely different time and place without her own consent in the matter. He had taken her away from what she had left. She wasn't blessed with a death in her timeline, with her other beloved and deceased waiting for her to join them. She was the one who had to endure more pain and she had no one with her. Sh was on her own to bear with her grief and to pick up after the Nidaime's mess. She was in foreign territory with no one to help comfort her in any way, not even a reassuring pat on the back to lead her forward. She was gone. Disappeared from her time and tossed during what appeared to be the Warring Clans Period, with dry blood and her forehead protector to remind her of her home everyone fought for.

She was devastated. She was on her own. She was completely shut down. She resembled a shattered porcelain doll, no amount of glue could fix her back together.

She was numb. She was tired of being numb. But it was her most effective coping mechanism, to stop feeling anything altogether is what made her focus on making her hands all the more bloody and not salted from treacherous tears.

* * *

His long brown hair whipped behind him as he dashed to the source of the tortured wailing and wracking sobs and vibrations of the earth splitting apart. He was a kind man by nature and hated that children and women had to be forced into the Shinobi life at the cost of their lives, childhood, and sanity. She sounded in trouble and he sought to help her out. But what he left behind in the back of his mind was that if she were an Uchiha or other enemy, he had to execute her.

His blinding pace skidded to a halt as he took in the scene in front of him, the river where he first met his childhood friend, Madara and the place where Madara pushed him away, was a young woman of long pink hair and bloodied body. Upon figuring out his arrival the woman hastily turned to his direction, her posture that of authority and warning signals, her hair danced around her frame from her spontaneous movement and speed. Her eyes held pain and anger, and what finally diminished into recognition?

This emotion confused him, as he regarded her state and appearance. She seemed wanting to voice out something, but quickly kept her lips tight, her feet digging int the ground and taking grass with them. Her shoulders eased and she demonstrated no signs of attacking him. Hashirama continued to take in the woman who made the sobs earlier. Her eyes were guarded and showed no other spark of emotion.

Her features were exotic, almost like his dear brother. But she held a diamond seal on her forehead and he delved that it held massive power, and she reeked with other foreign chakra laying dormant in her that he couldn't place a finger on it. He never saw her before, she was alone, she was probably the reason to the ground's disheveled cracks and dents as well, as their were no other signs of fallen ninja beside her. He scanned her bloodied and tattered ninja attire. It was more modern and of different style than what his clan members wore and other ninja they faced. Her vest indicated she was pierced through her abdomen and had blood accompanying it, but he only saw flesh through the hole. and other areas as well.

 _'She is a remarkable healer..'_ his thoughts trailed off as he openly praised her with his face set in surprise and offered a small smile to her, growing a bit worried about her mental state as she was obviously lost in her grief and exhaustion was about to consumer her whole.

But what held his gaze the most was her crimson forehead protector that was currently tied around her neck loosely. He realized with relief that she was not an enemy. But his heart skipped a beat as he kept staring at the words dumbfounded.

 _'Allied Shinobi Forces_ ' it rang out at him. Screamed his attention and he drank in its meaning. Igniting a barrage of hopeful sparks to ablaze in his mind. But he was brought out of his trance as he swiftly closed the distance between the woman and him and caught her in his arms as her body gave out and exhaustion finished taking her into sleep entirely. He had a one-track mind, and he made it priority that she be safe within the Clan borders and heal. She had a depressing demeanor that set off the same in Hashirama, and sped off back towards the compound, with the woman in his arms.

She was the new light for everyone and it came at a price to her greatly. He knew as much. He needed to talk to Tobirama.

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 **Thank you to all of your follows, favorites, and reviews. Your support helps me a lot in striving to continue this story. There is much more in store that i have planned for this and i hope you all enjoy.**

 **I just have one request, please review! :)**


	3. Encounter

Dear Readers,

First and foremost, thank you all for your support and feedback regarding my story. I am very grateful to know many people like it and I will do my best to update every week or two. Your continuous support is what motivates me to keep writing as well so thank you very much.

Also, I used to be an avid reader and writer the previous year but gave up on them because I was an atrocious writer back then, but now I promise not to delete my story. And I had read a beautifully written MinatoXSakura fanfic called "Kunoichi's Burden:Village First" by Lilac Haze. And now after composing my first chapter I went to reading it again after not reading it for over a year and noticed my chapter was somewhat similar to her first chapter and a fellow reader commented about that. I'm happy they still believe my fanfic can still be good, but I never mean to plagiarize or paraphrase anything when I pondered on ideas for my chapter.

However I recommend that story to anyone who loves or is interested in MinatoXSakura. Thank you all again for everything and if you have further questions or comments just review or PM me.

Enough of me blabbering, please enjoy this weeks update!

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 **Chapter 3: Encounter**

She felt like a child being rocked to sleep. Hashirama's pace forced her body to move with his steps in the security of his arms. She had been dumbfounded to see him arrive at the river, having followed her pitiful cries and vibrations from the ground with her dainty fists being the cause. She had wanted to call out to him with respect to her Hokage, but kept a tight lip.

This was the time when all the clans slaughtered each other, where there was no Konohagakure. Such approach and use of formalities would serve to make the man only more suspicious of her. She had familiarized his features from the battlefield in her time. His eyes were much kinder, more welcoming and remorseful without the charcoal black obscuring his brown irises.

She vaguely registered her stomach was bubbling with mixed spikes of ice and flames circling opposite each other like oil and water. She had the growing sensation to scrape her fingers along the area, in a vain attempt to avert a sliver of the pain elsewhere. The burning grew more unbearable and hotter as each slow second passed.

She was under the impression that if this growing sensation continued, her vitals would disintegrate and she would be consumed inside out. Though being in her state, she refrained from harming the sensitive flesh further, resorting to keeping them firmly at her sides and focused on the Shodaime's boisterous pace, whilst chewing the inside of her cheek harshly.

The medic had not meant to faint in front of the Shodaime, she was a stubborn woman but that snuck up on her as she was steadily falling further in her subconscious, her body would not recover from her exhaustion for awhile. She realized by that time she would either be executed or under watchful eyes that would rival a hawk. The loyal clansmen would keep her within their peripheral vision, as if waiting for her to snap at the Senju, giving them an excuse to kill her.

The Kunoichi regarded her situation but knew Hashirama was a kind man at heart, and would try and help her out as he was clan leader. Sakura recalled his poorly concealed interest and hopeful expression upon eyeing her metal forehead protector. She knew just what it meant to him. The man longed for peace and harmony within the clans to end the manslaughter. That drive was what helped make the foundation of the village and make a fantasy and fools dream into a reality.

He felt she was their hope, their saving grace. Sakura was god-sent to help rekindle everyone's dimming candle. She was the living proof of there ever existing an alliance of any sort. She was breathing and fighting for those ties. Her metal headband was shining and reflecting the sunlight's brilliant beams of light.

Sakura was the very epitome of truth that there is a method of obtaining tranquility, at meeting a middle ground and compromise between diverse clans. Her blood and others drenching her battle armor was a showcase that it had not come easily, it was on another wavelength.

But she was not a saving grace, her hope ran from watching Naruto picking himself back up each and every time he was kicked in the head. She was not God-sent, but merely thrown there as a last resort. She was only a miniscule percent of what used to have been several thousand shinobi at the first phases of war.

Her forehead protector shined from the pinkette wiping it with her clothes whenever time was granted to her, as it was all she had left to remind that everyone was fighting for a better future. The method had failed to have the alliance win in the end, but Sakura was taken away to see the complete aftermath, as Naruto was still alive and fighting back there when the Nidaime so kindly threw her in another time period.

She would never see Naruto again.

Sakura let that thought slip away from her as soon as it came, to prevent herself from wallowing in her despair again so soon.

* * *

Sakura felt the darkness consume her, as the cerulean sky and red armor dulled and blended into the darkness.

Her hair was trying to catch hold of something above her. It flew in spontaneous movements around her head as she recognized the feeling of collapsing again. At first she thought the man holding her had decidedly dropped her, but the prolonged sensation gave rise to the thought that she was lucidly dreaming.

Craning her neck to peer at the ground, the black was subsiding and she could see her reflection. The waters were an eerie dark green and the rusted walls curved from where she must've fallen, decorated with torches symmetrically aligned.

Effortlessly twisting her body, her feet were welcomed with an applaud of splashing water ringing in her ears, the ripples leaving her form and bouncing off the walls of the vast cave. She felt his presence. Her back was turned to him. His labored breathing hit her back and hair, ruffling the worn out fabric. His breath was like a soft wind that cooled her exposed flesh, sending a chill down her spine.

He said nothing to her, but the kyuubi knew Sakura was aware of him. His eyes narrowed at her tiny frame. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat, not so much as a warning to the woman, but more of showing his irritation of the situation.

"Kurama" there was no malice or indifference in her tone, speaking as if merely regarding a fellow comrade. She said his real name and had it roll off her tongue, the tone bouncing off the walls to fill in the silence before them.

She only ever saw the tailed fox from afar. Cloaking Naruto with his once menacing chakra brought some unwelcoming memories before her eyes. She tenderly stroked her right arm, tracing the three claw marks subconsciously. The beast watched her intently, lessening his intense gaze. It seemed Sakura passed whatever test he had thrown at her. He did not hate her, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. She was a forgiving person, and she had witnessed firsthand that the fox and Naruto had come to a median as beast and jinchuuriki.

Nothing was impossible when you were Naruto Uzumaki. He had saved people's lives and Konohagakure countless times. He always put others before himself, and he was always the one to turn enemies like Zabuza, Nagato and Obito to die as a better person.

Naruto was the one who changed the hearts of many for the better, and that gift of his extended out to all the tailed beasts, being able to get along with them and refer to each other like equals.

The exhausted medic turned around and gave the fox her full attention. His towering figure had her tilting her head to meet his piercing gaze. His nine tails flicked spasmodically at random intervals, making them resemble a huge fan in the back. His coat of fur was a burnt orange, his body having been thin from lack of chakra. The fox was hungry for chakra, to replenish his sytem and regain a healthy weight. he was more irritable when he was in his more vulnerable state.

The burning sensation in her stomach abandoned her, leaving her the confidence that it was kyuubi that summoned her using that pain to have her collapse in front of the Shodaime and appear before him while unconscious. Seems a brief confrontation wasn't going to be enough this time.

For a split second her mind wandered off with the question if this was how Naruto felt every time he encountered the beast, or if there were other more simpler ways to contact the kyuubi more conveniently and painlessly.

She also didn't want to consider how or why she was able to see Kurama like this when she herself wasn't a jinchuuriki.

' _Naruto_ ' her eyes lowered into lazy slits, then shut them tightly, swallowing the huge lump in her throat that prevented her from breathing properly.

Their memories were taunting her, dancing around her head like a mantra. They were seeping into her heart and bringing out the worst of her, the broken, useless, traumatized and fragile girl. She threatened to collapse with the weight of her tears stuck in her tear ducts. She bared her teeth and knit her brow together. Sakura was more fearsome, rational, headstrong, and intimidating when she wasn't wallowing in her continuous failure.

The flower had grown thorns to protect herself and other outside forces from eating away her delicately made barrier and keep her inner turmoil in its place. But it seemed with every painful situation she head-butted, made it harder for her to retain her poker face since everything hit her in the heart and chipped away at her mask.

Kurama regarded the pink-haired Kunoichi in front of him. Her eyes had given him her full attention but the sight before her was enough for her to withdraw from the situation at hand and her eyes took on a faraway look. She was seemingly unaware of her being in a daze as she was, trying to keep her form contained as she was seeing other things that weren't in the room.

She was taking punches that hit her emotionally, no matter how tough she tried to make herself appear. He couldn't blame her, but he wouldn't let her continue in her self-pitying manner for long. He needed to tell her what she needed to know and how to go about her first few days alive within the Senju borders. Her presence alone would change the course of the future, but she needed to change things for the better, not make them worse.

"Sakura Haruno." He more announced for her attention back to the present. She was a respectable Kunoichi and medic, the lilac seal demanded attention from everyone she passed by.

Sure enough, the woman addressed let out a soft gasp and her eyes refocused on his own set of amber orbs. Some emotion still swam through her green pools but she was alert enough to handle what the kyuubi had to offer her. At times like this she wished she was still numb, where she felt nothing and didn't lose her focus and lower her guard by reminiscing.

Knowing he had all ears, he began speaking directly, leaning his own weight to be closer to her a bit, making himself more situated and comfortable to state the needed and answer any of her questions.

"Naruto is a stubborn brat...But there was no way of defeating Kaguya and Madara. A feat like that may have been more probable if Sasuke and Kakashi were still alive." At their names Sakura visibly stiffened. Her body started rattling and shaking like a leaf. He knew what she was seeing right now. She had been there when Sasuke and Kakashi drew their last tired breaths. He knew he was hurting her more but she had to hear him out and hurt more before she could start healing.

"Sakura, after they left this damned earth it took a toll on Naruto as you should have realized yourself. He looked after you much more often, keeping tabs on your chakra through his sage mode chakra. He wanted to make sure you were alive, but he was nearly out of chakra and will to fight, as you were one of few survivors of the shinobi alliance. You became his priority."

Sakura was barely listening now. Kurama's voice rang loud and clear in the cave but was becoming background noise for her.

The fox realized this and set his claw down next to her shivering body and said her name clearly again for her to hear. He tried to remain calm and be more understanding. He needed to give her a minute to process all this before she closed herself off completely and he wouldn't ever get through to her then.

Two streams of tears cascaded down her face on either side, the rhythmic sounds of water droplets rescued her ears, helping her to breathe with the pattern of dripping water.

"He and Yondaime placed part of my chakra as a cloak around your summon, Katsuya. That is why the slug's skin looked orange, she was keeping it as a second skin on her so she can easily place it into your system along with her healing chakra. But this exchange of my chakra had to be done quickly, as it could have potentially harmed your summon and Madara would have snatched my loose power." The woman before him had her mouth slightly ajar, her eyes drinking in their information intently. The tears still leaked out angrily, but they graciously weren't taking away all her needed attention.

"Kaguya then sent Naruto, Yondaime, and Madara into a separate dimension to fight." The medic widened her eyes at this. Her vision was growing more hazy. Her breathing came in obnoxious gasps, her chest tightened more. Naruto barely got out of a life or death situation under her watch and the Yondaime permanently lost his right arm from a previous attack.

"Due to Madara being in the other dimension, the chakra receivers that stole chakra and mobility from both the Shodaime and Nidaime were ineffective at that point, and they made a point to have you sent to this time to prevent the birth of this madness from ever occurring again."

He allowed another moments pause for Sakura to retain all the vital information through her big forehead, as he hoped he was answering some of her questions she had been itching to figure out.

"Kurama..." She began, but her voice became small as she bowed her head in defeat, regret, denial.

The kyuubi had to refrain from letting out another irritated sigh. She was always degrading her ability to overcome boulders set in her path. She had been motivated to become strong like her teammates and walk shoulder-to-shoulder with them. Now that they were both gone, she was lost on how to move forward. Now he needed to have things go from push to shove.

Before Naruto, Kurama hated mankind and sought out to destroy the villages and demonstrate to man what it was like to be in pain, to be the cause of pain and be surrounded by it. Naruto had Kurama spin his head one hundred eighty degrees and help out the nations.

Naruto wanted to help out him and all the other bijuu, and now was his chance again in being with this girl that was precious to the blonde idiot.

"You need to stop this stupidity! What's the point of hard work if you don't believe in yourself?" The words were thrown at her, and to his satisfaction, her head shot back up. Her eyes were full of shock, her mouth was set in a firm line. He had her again. Her head resurfaced from the deep depths of her sadness and she had a new purpose. She had another chance at redeeming herself and protecting her loved ones.

She always strived to become stronger. To become more useful and to be able to protect those she held dear in her big heart. She had grown, spiritually, emotionally, and physically after several years. No wasn't the time to become her own enemy when she had another chance at something better for her comrades.

Naruto and the previous Hokage had bestowed their faith in her. They got her to safety from Kaguya, Zetsu, and Madara for now. Now it was her time to repay them.

Now she had Kurama on her side and had an idea of how to prevent Madara from falling under the Uchiha clan's curse of hatred.

She was the heiress of the will of fire.

* * *

The man had witnessed the scene that played out in front of him mere moments ago. His long obsidian hair swayed with the cool breeze. He stared at the spot from his perch on top a branch by the river.

The pink-haired enigma had captured his attention, from her screams of agony, her effortless destruction of the ground, to the surprised and hopeful expression worn on Hashirama when he laid his eyes upon the woman. The Uchiha had noticed the diamond seal that was decorated on her forehead too, deeming it a key to her true strength.

Hashirama had worn the same hopeful expression whenever he talked about making a village and uniting clans.

Madara scowled at the vacant area, his crossed arms tightened around each other, his jaw jutted out as he grit his teeth together.

The woman was exotic and too noticeable, emotional, and under-dressed for a shinobi. However, she reeked with ample soothing chakra and another that rested in her forehead where the seal sat, and another that circled around her abdomen. His sharingan hadn't overlooked anything in his brief observation of her.

She didn't seem to belong to any clan, but wore a headband around her neck that was what must have gotten Hashirama in a jolly bunch.

"An exotic enigma indeed" he said to the open air, letting it carry away with the wind and left to his clan's compound. He would eventually find out about this woman, after all, not many things caught his utmost interest.

* * *

Tobirama gazed out the top floor window of his house, overlooking the dense forest that stretched for miles.

His brother came into view, holding a petite woman in his arms.

Tobirama was growing anxious. Those tremors and faint screams were what made the Senju place his finger on the ground and search for chakra signatures towards the area of the sound's location.

It unsettled him and his elder brother, they both shared a loathing to children and women having to fight in the war.

The loss of his two little brothers had left both remaining Senju brothers pained from their deaths. Though Tobirama was more discrete in concealing his emotions, he still felt very pained and forced himself not to show much emotion as what his father had taught them all as Shinobi.

Tobirama was relieved for the fact that the woman was obviously not an enemy, as they had to kill her if she were one. But he was anxious due to the fact that when he checked the chakra signatures again when Hashirama left the compound, a few short minutes later another shinobi was in the area, but the close range was too short-lived for both parties to have even encountered each other, but surely the other ninja had seen the exchange between Hashirama and the woman. He was certain the other ninja had also sensed the two powerful chakras that lay dormant in her small frame.

Some trouble may come out of this.

He approached the older Senju, waiting for him to finish placing the unconscious woman on the futon, placing a blanket over her tattered shinobi attire.

Tobirama watched the exchange, taking in the state the woman was in. She had striking pink hair that fanned out around her face like a halo. Her dark eyelashes were wet with tears, her skin red from crying, lips bruised, and her breathing came out strained.

Her forehead adorned a diamond seal that held massive amounts of chakra.

She was exotic, dare he say beautiful, but he knew better than to take any interest in women. He was a shinobi, and a respected one, he did not have time to take on silly affairs when he himself had a hard time trusting many people, let alone outsiders like this pinkette. There were other matters to put into the limelight, they could not afford to brush them aside.

"Elder brother, there was someone else who saw you with the woman. Did you notice them?" Hashirama stood up after checking the kunoichi was comfortable as possible and led his brother out the room.

Closing the door quietly, Hashirama averted his brown eyes to rest upon his younger brother's red ones.

"No." he started out. "When I arrived at the scene it was just the kunoichi. When I left I didn't check for anyone else, so they must have arrived after i came."

Tobirama settled for crossing his arms, letting out a soft sigh.

"You know the enemy could have put out that woman as bait to lure a kind-hearted person out. She could be a spy for all we know. We can't let her stay here." He stated bluntly. The younger Senju was well aware that this argument would be close to fruitless when dealing with Hashirama, but as leader of the clan he needed to consider both sides of the coin, and Tobirmama was always the one to pester him on topics as these.

"We have no reason to push her away or execute her, Tobirama. She will rest here with us and we will question her, as she is not an enemy. She bares heavy grief within her, her eyes were very hollow and drained of light. She is part of an alliance and it appears she is one of few remaining. Brother, she is our hope. She is proof that clans can join together and fight alongside each other."

"A headband isn't enough to go by your desires and hopes! Also, that power inside her, it isn't human, it's more dark and dangerous." Tobirama countered, his jaw jutted out in an exasperated manner. His brother dreamed of foolish desires that were too good to be real.

"Tobirama, we will look after her. Things don't alwasy have to be dealt with in such aggressive approach, brother. I leave her under your care for now. No harm is to come to her." At that, Hashirama gave his brother a stern gaze that threatened Tobirama to say otherwise. The man left the red-eyed man to ponder his situation with irritation being his dominant emotion at the moment, clicking his tongue before returning to his room, giving the closed door a last glance. He would check up on her in a few hours.

He would find out what the woman was hiding. it was unheard of that someone could heal such deadly wounds, only his beloved older brother could accomplish such a task. He pushed his left hand through his hair, proceeding to leave.

At that, the only sound was his feet hitting the floorboards, creaking sounds echoing the halls as he let his mind wander off elsewhere.


	4. Potential Realized

**Chapte r 4:** **Potential Realized**

The discussion between the brothers lay unbeknownst to the sleeping woman. Her ears did not pick up any of their chat, her eyelids did not tighten, her nose did not scrunch up to their near presence, nor did her fingers twitch. Sakura was motionless. To a stranger, they would deem her dead if not for the small rise and fall of her chest every so often, as every one of her senses were to the fox. Her physical state had the agenda to heal and recoup, whilst her mental state focused on the beast that had nine tails.

Kurama positioned himself so that he still faced Sakura but slapped his paws together, a demonstration of a somewhat focused stance to gather up more chakra in himself more quickly.

The witness watched with keen interest, the water beneath her were mere ripples, but nonetheless moving with the bubbling chakra entering her to the fox.

Her eyes shifted and danced around the towering orange beast, the medic in her checking him for other signs of discomfort or pain out of mere habit. She developed this silent routine over years of being on Team Kakashi.

Having proud and stubborn men on her team had her delve and search for any hidden scratches or nicks any time her mind wandered off. Most of the time her measuring glances went unnoticed on her behalf, but over time her teammates could not hide anything from her scrutinizing gaze.

A mere second of eye contact, and she could see the minuscule gleam that spoke of discomfort, the indifference in the way they observed their surroundings, or pompous jutting of the jaw gave away that they were hiding something from her, or go as far as avoiding her eyes altogether. Her own set of knowing and intimidating stares stopped them in their tracks, and they would look back in apprehension upon being discovered.

Honestly, she could not comprehend the mentality of the male species, when it would only benefit everyone on the team to have wounds fade away with her soothing chakra, that they themselves admitted was comforting. With larger or life threatening wounds they let her heal them without a pause, but sometimes would try and brush off scratches or bruises as nothing.

* * *

 _Flashback_ :

 _'You damn idiot!' The spitfire inwardly cursed in an exasperated tone to hide the growing terror she felt inside, pushing her legs forward to run faster. She felt his chakra long before she saw him. He was hurt. He had been reckless again. He always knew how to send the pink-haired medic into a cold sweat. She recalled in their genin years how Naruto was a scalawag. Now he really caused trouble by putting his life on the line for the sake of the shinobi world on a daily basis, of every minute he stood at the front lines._

 _The other medics and ninja were blurs, the Godaime's apprentice weaving her way through them as some stepped to the side of her blinding pace. A simple white blanket lay underneath his tattered form, a bit of a barrier from the cold, unforgiving forest floor._

 _The two medics that flanked him only helped wash the dirt and grime off his face and other exposed flesh from his clothes being ripped in several areas. They were of no use to the jinchuuriki, as only Sakura's healing chakra was accepted in Naruto's body, the other medics didn't even bother as the Kyuubi always rejected their foreign chakra, usually only making Naruto's condition worse._

 _Upon her arrival, the younger medics retreated to their other awaiting patients, bowing in respect to their superior before departing. Sakura dropped down on her knees next to the man, her breaths labored from her running. She got right to cleaning his open wounds, gently placing pressure on the areas with a wet rag and antiseptic, knowing it would sting Naruto. The man was losing a lot of blood, she had to act quickly to close them._

 _She could feel his intense blue eyes fixated on her form, watching her every move, barely reacting to her feather-like touches. His limbs would only seldom tense up when the antiseptic was placed on him. The her hands glowed the familiar green color and started closing up his wounds, the white blanket turning red._

 _Sakura deemed she would never fully be used to how his cerulean eyes kept close watch on her at all times he was around her. His normally exuberant character was noticeably more jaded, the mischievous upturn of his lips, as well as his unwavering determination that shone in his eyes were absent most of the time now._

 _Glancing at the lines adorning his face whilst avoiding his blue orbs, she took in every sharp feature, her hands busying themselves with healing his gashes. His round face was now more sharp and defined with a strong jawline. Whatever innocence and baby fat that had decorated his face was long dismissed as he grew older. He had grown up, and Sakura felt that she was cheated of the chance to see him grow up to the man she saw now. It seemed out of place how the idiot she had loved, gave out sophisticated and smart statements more times than naught. It scared her._

 _After several minutes, all of his open wounds were now closed nicely, Sakura having reattached the ripped muscle tissue and blood vessels in his limbs. She reverted back to wiping any last traces of blood, taking her time to avoid his piercing gaze that served to undress her of her professional mask. It was hard to stay mad at him, for whatever reason the anger was provoked, she couldn't stand being irrational with Naruto and taking out her temper on him for long._

 _She expected the blonde to have given a half-hearted tease or small smile her way, as he always did when she healed him. He always tried to make her worry less about him and try to convince her that the wounds were nothing. This time he offered her none. The only thing that greeted them was silence._

 _Not able to take the suffocating lack of communication, she risked a glance at his face under her thick lashes. She immediately regretted doing so. She wanted to look away, but she was trapped in his smoldering set of blue eyes, pinning her nervous ones in place. He never looked away from her, sitting up with his hands balancing him. It was not the grim expression that caused her heart to lurch, but those blue eyes. Those eyes showed unbridled fear to her. Naruto Uzumaki was just as scared as she was, maybe even more._

 _"Naruto?" She called out to him softly, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze in a vain attempt to provide him comfort._

 _The man shifted his weight to one side, allowing his left hand to envelope her smaller one that lay on his shoulder. He slowly lifted it up towards his lips, caressing the soft flesh with soothing circles and brushing it over his parted lips in a small kiss._

 _Naruto kept his gaze locked onto her green veridians, his cerulean blue was turning to a darker navy, taking on a more intimately intense set fixated to her face, watching her every reaction._

 _His hot breath and sweet kisses sent shivers up and down her spine, her breath hitched in her throat. The evident fear and longing he held was very much there._

 _Before she could register his next move, he gently placed his other hand behind her head and placed their foreheads together, his left hand still holding onto Sakura's. His Konohagakure headband was left on the floor beside them so his front bangs tickled her skin upon contact. The heat he radiated emitted off in waves, making her cheeks to be dusted with red at his close proximity and comforting hold._

 _She kept still, letting her shoulders relax and felt she was reading into his very heart through his eyes that seemed to have the whole ocean in their depths._

 _The usually obnoxious blonde kept quiet, reveling in the warmth of the woman in his hold, just communicating through their eyes. His was the ocean, while hers held the whole forest in them. He noticed the reddening of her cheeks, a small upturn of his lips made way to his mouth._

 _He found himself massaging her scalp, feeling the silky locks in between his calloused fingers. Sakura's breathing was short, he made her more nervous these days with his too friendly touches and stares. He was also aware that she was more relaxed around him, always happy to be in his embrace and at peace with her mind upon knowing he was alive._

 _The Shinobi in the alliance expected a lot from him, of course he was doing all he could for the future of everyone, but the trouble with being strong is that no one ever asked if you were alright. Everyone assumed he was some sort of God. Everyone thought this of him, except for his close friends-Sakura especially. She knew he was only human in the end. He got hurt, and scared. But he had to make sure she was aware of what exactly scared him._

 _She had wondered...what made his knees shake, his lips quiver? She had a strong hint as to what he was afraid of, if his impassioned expression hadn't already given it away, but she wanted to confirm it._

 _"Sakura...You know I'm scared, right?" He asked in a deep baritone voice, almost in a whisper._

 _Few ninja passing by them felt they were intruding on an intimate moment, looking away from the scene in shame and guilt, carrying on their way with more haste. Sakura vaguley noticed this, but didn't pay much heed. Not trusting her voice yet, the pinkette gave a subtle nod to the blonde, rubbing against his forehead in the process._

 _"You know why I'm scared?" He pressed on unnecessarily, he saw she was lost with words so he only asked rhetorically so he still had her attention. He took his hand away from her hair to ghost his fingers over her red cheeks, then along her jawline, leaving trails of goosebumps wherever they touched._

 _The pinkette only swallowed. She selfishly hoped his actions were only a side affect from the blood loss, but knew too well that he was very sincere. He loved her, that much everyone knew, even the usually oblivious spitfire. She just couldn't bring herself to love him completely like he did, it killed her inside everyday. She did not know what it was that kept her from being able to love him as much if not more, and she was only hurting the both of them._

 _Subconsciously leaning into his touch, she never wavered under his intensity, simply letting him have her full attention._

 _The Uzumaki let out a shaky sigh, still indicating his underlying fear he felt, though he didn't let his voice show anything other than confidence and earnest intent. He did not want Sakura to be under the impression that Naruto Uzumaki was starting to be unmanned. Naruto did not want his best friend to figure out that he too was losing hope every time he looked around to see another fallen comrade or pained cry in the distance. He was beyond exhausted of everything._

 _He settled upon bringing his face closer to her ear, not wanting to see those green eyes that had unshed tears, and not wanting her to see his pained expression either._

 _His hot breath hit her ear and neck, taking a second before whispering in her ear, as if imparting her with a secret._

 _"I'm afraid of losing more of my precious people." At this, the pinkette choked on her breath and the tears fell, wrapping her arms around the man, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck._

 _She didn't have it in her to answer him, that it couldn't be helped as long as they were still at war. She hurt him enough as a kid and it seemed she still did just that to him. Even now, as she was crying in his arms he started rubbing comforting circles on her back to comfort_ her _, all he ever did was comfort and love_ her, _even when she deserved none of it._

 _Naruto let out a tired sigh, comfortable with embracing his best friend, saving the moment to mind for when he had to go back to the front lines, as a nice memory to look back on, that even in war, there are still seldom moments that can help distract a person from the surrounding hell everyday._

 _Sakura started to move from his arms, her sobs having quieted, but he held on tight, reluctant to let her go. She just moved her head to the side and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek._

 _"You're an idiot, Naruto." She said while wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, a soft smile adorning her face._

 _"Sakura-chan." Naruto drawled out the -chan for added effect as he playfully whined. The blonde let his lower lip set into a pout, making Sakura to let out a chuckle. They both resumed to embracing each other a bit longer..._

* * *

The abrupt sound of a snort brought her back to the present, Kurama sparing Sakura a disbelieving glance, as if reading her mind. The fox himself had natural healing properties on him, enabling him to instantly heal himself and his jinchuuriki without so much as a wave of one of his tails. Her worried and suspicious looks were unnecessary to him.

Red-amber eyes kept an even gaze upon the petite woman, waiting for her to voice out questions that boggled her mind.

She was not one to disappoint. A curious kitten like herself had no limits when she had passion for knowledge.

* * *

 _'I am a Jinchuuriki'_ The woman inwardly announced to herself, testing out the title in her head, taking in its meaning. Her conversation with Kurama had answered some questions, but also brought up new ones to figure out.

She learned that she contained a third of Kurama's chakra within her, half yin, half yang kyuubi chakra.

Though Kurama intends to cooperate with Sakura, she must still learn how to control the new power in her body, as well as somehow find a way to obtain more yang chakra to help balance everything out, as she had an ample amount of yin chakra from her Byakugou seal.

Along with her water and earth release, Sakura knew for a fact she had yin release as well as yang release. Now she had to balance the amount of yang chakra with her yin to be able to hone yin and yang release together, to help her be able to keep the kyuubi's chakra steady.

But at all costs, her little road trip through time is to remain to herself, even from the future founders of Konoha, as sometimes too much information can become more powerful than the strongest jutsu.

Her eyes were still closed, but she felt around with her other senses, her body having recovered nicely from her injuries remarkably enough.

A soft knock made her eyes snap open and her head to turn towards the sound's origin.

Not a second later and the door creaked open, revealing a head of silver hair that painfully reminded the medic of her beloved Kakashi-sensei. But as she further insepcted, the mob of hair also three red marks on the face, along with equally red eyes staring at her intensely.

Her eyes widened a fraction upon realizing it was none other than Tobirama Senju himself. She couldn't help the surprise in seeing the supposed dead future Hokage, even with the knowledge she was within the Senju borders.

"I felt you were awake...may I come in?" Asked Tobirama smoothly, his eyes still intense. He may not trust strangers, but his mother still raised him and his brothers to have manners before she too, passed away.

At that, Sakura firmly nodded at the man, "Y-Yes of course, Senju-sama."

Without further hesitation, Tobirama strode to the middle of the room, turning back towards the woman.

Sakura took in his appearance. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, with matching pants, but was missing his usual blue armor, sandals, and forehead protector.

Even with the garments in the way, Sakura could easily tell the water-user was well-built and muscular, seeing as the material was a bit tight around his biceps and chest. Next was his face. Tobirama had a strong jaw, and the red marks on his cheeks and chin were quite interesting, and drew out his eyes, she thought.

But it was his eyes that held her in place. She always loved the color red. It was the color of warmth, compassion, strength, love...but during war it was always a sign of death. Now looking at Tobirama's set of orbs, she saw a lot of raw strength and intensity, any other emotion was devoid from her being able to decipher.

She would be dumb to not acknowledge he was very much good-looking to say the least, but it would not do her any good to put aside the fact that she was an outsider, and she would have to be careful under his radar.

"Our medic, Mira, helped change you and monitor your health while you were out. She will bring you a new set of clothes to wear, and the bathroom is right through that door." He calmly explained while pointing to the door behind them.

"..Later you will meet my older brother and myself to talk, then you will eat. Mira will show you the way when you have finished." At that he left Sakura alone to her thoughts and privacy to take care of her hygiene.

Taking dainty steps to the bathroom, she noticed she was dressed in a simple white kimono, courtesy of Mira. She noticed her hair wasn't so tangled with blood and muck anymore. She made a note to thank her for her thoughtfulness. At times, some medics and doctors would just chop off all the hair of people instead of taking time out of their day to clean it while the owner lay unconscious.

Running a hand through her long pink tresses, Sakura decided to keep her hair at the length it was, letting it stay a reminder to her of her less than nice journey.

Stripping herself of her kimono and letting it pool around the floor, she got right to work with using the provided lavender and cherry blossom soaps to clean her body, reveling in the hot water she filled up from the bucket by the tub.

Washing the remaining suds from her hair, she emptied out the soapy water and dried herself off with the towel, wrapping it around her body and stepping out of the washroom.

She was greeted with a woman about her same age, with wavy blonde hair that reached her mid-back, and stunning blue eyes, placing a new set of clothes on her bed before turning toward her.

The blonde gave Sakura a friendly, yet slightly sheepish smile and that sent the Godaime's apprentice in a wave of nostalgia.

She looked too much like Ino.

"Good morning, I'm Mira. I just came to place your new clothes...sorry to barge in without permission." Sakura just returned her smile and motioned for her to stop apologizing.

"Thank you for taking care of me while I was sleeping, Mira-san, I appreciate you washing my hair as well." The gratitude made Mira ecstatic. Her eyes twinkling, laughing a little.

"Don't worry about it, a woman's hair is one of her best assets." She replied, waving her hands around from her embarrassment. After her laughter subsided, Mira took a good look at Sakura with something akin to curiosity and admiration.

"Sakura-san, it amazes me that you were able to heal most of your injuries on your own, as you may know, some were also fatal! Most of my job was to just clean you up and monitor your vitals, the rest you did on your own. Not to mention you're a Kunoichi! Not many women now are involved in battle other than to heal the wounded...I wish I can have such knowledge! My dream is to be an amazing Kunoichi and be able to heal the wounded and none my skills to the maximum." The blonde went on with such hope in her eyes, Sakura could only stare as she took in her words.

She had to admit, Mira wasn't like many of the medics who were usually more serene and composed.

"Um, thank you, Mira-san." Sakura replied, stretching the back of her head with one hand m a habit she picked up from Naruto.

"And I'm sure you'll be able to reach your dream eventually." She added to the blonde, full-heartedly wanting to give her support.

"Hmm, I'll step out so you can change and I'll lead you to Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama." With the door closing, the pinkette put on the lilac kimono with roses decorated on it with a pink sash. Taking her brush she glided it through her locks before putting them in a long braid.

Walking with Mira by her side, she played out different scenarios of her chat with the future founders of Konoha in her head, trying to ease her speeding heart rate for the encounter.

* * *

 **Sorry this update is so late, I ended up getting sick and I have a wedding to go to soon so I have been busy helping prepare for it. I'm sorry if this story is coming off a bit slow, but that's just because these few chapters make the foundation of what's to happen in the near future. I have much planned for this story so stay tuned!**


	5. Trepidation

**Attention! A new idea for a story wedged itself in my encephalon, and I just had to get to writing it! But I made sure to work on this chapter and have it published before I even start on another story. It will be another time-travel story but it will be Shisui x Sakura! I absolutely love this pairing and I feel there isn't much love for them in the fanfiction world, so I came up with an idea and I will post it within 72 hours after this chapter is posted. I promise!**

 **Now if you are interested in reading it, I would love to hear your feedback and I also have other beautiful stories about them and other couples on my profile under my favorite's list. And if you're not interested..it's alright too. Just a heads up to my readers.**

 **Now please enjoy this new chapter I have composed. And thank you all again for your support, critiques, and ideas!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 : Trepidation**

"Uh, Mira-san?" The pinkette called out, turning to watch her companion in curiosity, both keeping a steady pace down the corridor.

"Hmm?" The woman in question drawled out almost whimsically.

"How do you know of my name?" Sakura inquired carefully, she was as sharp as a tack and knew she hadn't admitted anything about herself.

Wide blue eyes dared a short glance at the already staring green pair. Mira found something in Sakura's expression that had her look opposite her direction in embarrassment.

"Y-Your vest. I emptied it of your belongings so they wouldn't get ruined when I cleaned it. Along with a storage scroll, you had an identification card with your name, rank, age and affiliation, however your affiliation was blurred out. I am sorry if I have offended or angered you, Sakura-san." The blonde responded hurriedly, biting her lip nervously.

"It's alright." Sakura brushed it off with a wave of her hand, returning her gaze to the approaching door. As long as no one knew of her real home, she was in the clear as of currently.

She felt her response should have been more reassuring for the blonde and not plainly dismissive, but she had no time to conjure up an apology as Mira nodded sternly and rapped her fist on the door. They both were aware their chakra was known to both men in the room, but that didn't mean they couldn't have manners for privacy and respect.

A cheerful voice called out for them to enter, putting Sakura _almost_ at ease.

Mira opened the door to poke her head in, wavy blonde hair dangling at her tilted angle.

"Our guest is ready to see the both of you, Hashirama-sama, Tobirama-sama." With the door ajar, the waiting pinkette caught wafts of steaming foods, exciting her tastebuds. Her face flushed as she hugged her stomach to muffle the rumbling of her hungry abdomen.

"Ah, yes! Send her in Mira-chan!" The man all but bounced from where he was seated, voice loud and bubbly, beckoning in a childish manner for the guest to enter.

With a soft giggle, the blonde stepped aside and gestured a hand for Sakura to head in the room.

Quick to recover, Sakura took off her sandals and placed them on the side by the door. Despite her usual habit of just kicking off her boots to lay about precariously, she knew how to act in public, especially given the fact that she was over 75 years in the past and about to dine with two of the strongest Senju.

Straightening up and putting a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she turned her head to meet Mira's soft gaze and offered her a closed-eye grin. "See you." Making the blonde giggle again and replied with a nod. Sakura strode towards the middle of the room, her long braid lightly swaying along her backside, eyes taking in the beautifully decorated table with dishes of food and a tea pot at the center.

She barely registered the closing of the door as Sakura was met with a set of kind, brown eyes, and scrutinizing red ones adjacent.

Steam emitted off the various platters of rice, noodles, and meats, not remembering the last time she witnessed such a feast assorted in one setting. But she made sure to keep an even stare at the two men watching her with equal curiosity.

A friendly wave aimed at her direction brought her from her slight peruse, staring at Hashirama stupidly who adorned a toothy grin.

"Please have a seat." The man gestured for Sakura to sit on the vacant mat opposite the men, to which the stupefied woman complied. "I realize this isn't like how most greetings start off, but I presumed you would be hungry, so this is an avant-garde." Hashirama announced, placing his hands on his hips, feeling proud of himself.

Grateful for his thoughtfulness, Sakura dipped her head in a respectful bow and uttered a, "Thank you." Causing the man to nod excitedly and point a thumb towards himself, "I'm Hashirama Senju." Sakura nodded, a ghost of a smile making way to her face at the older Senju's exuberant attitude.

To her further amusement, she watched as Hashirama glanced at his little brother with a glint of mischief as Tobirama seemed more focused on the window to his left, feeling the surrounding area with his chakra for intruders, arms folded in front of his chest.

Without warning, the wood-style user slapped his brother on the back with more force and zest than necessary, causing the man's eyes to bug out a bit with a disgruntled gasp, arms flailing a bit to steady his back from being pushed towards his plate of food. The dark green kimono he wore provided little protection compared to his armor, but such attire was not appropriate for a meal, leaving his back with an angry red hand mark.

"And this is my lovely little brother, Tobirama Senju." Hashirama continued with out further pause, wearing the same radiant smile at an equally amused and disbelieving Sakura, the man seemingly oblivious, or rather ignorant of the fervent glare Tobirama sent his way.

"I happen to be more than capable of introducing myself, _brother_." The fuming man declared, emphasizing the last word irately.

"Oh come now, not with that attitude of yours, dear brother. You are very much intimidating most of the time and rather grumpy when hungry." Hashirama noted teasingly, not affected by the younger man's demeanor.

The medic in the room had not anticipated such behavior from the brothers. The history books and from first-hand experience on the battlefront of the Foruth Shinobi War, the future Hokage were deemed as smart, steadfast, strong individuals. Her curious jade eyes took in the scene of bickering between the brothers and sucked her bottom lip to keep from giggling. Hashirama was so goofy and childish that it helped calm her nerves about the interrogation that would start up in a minute.

Tobirama didn't want to deal with more of his brother's antics and drawled out an exasperated sigh, choosing to ignore him and gingerly chewed on his rice, before eyeing Sakura between his bites.

She liked to assume Tobirama was always like this, intense and serious all the time, but assumptions were deadly things. She felt a bit more confident that she was able to keep a steady gaze with him, not cowering or averting her gaze from intimidation he so naturally carried with him. She was Tsunade Senju's prized apprentice after all, she got used to more than merely her mentor's deadly stares.

Besides the lingering looks, there was a more meaningful glint in those merlot eyes, looking something akin to suspicion and silent warning. Looking at her as if she would explode any moment and he would have to halt her from hurting anyone. Then it dawned on her.

He knew. They both knew.

She housed powerful chakra within her, not to mention her forehead held the diamond seal for all to see that oozed of its own powerhouse of chakra.

She let out a slow breath through her nose, hands tugging at the ends of her borrowed kimono.

Hashirama's teasing towards his brother was really an underlying injunction, keeping the tension in check from getting out of hand, as Sakura figured she was only here in a peaceful manner due to the older Senju's kind nature.

Mistaking her slight frown for annoyance, Hashirama quickly averted his attention back to the pinkette, conjuring up a quick apology and inquired for her name.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, Senju-sama." The medic responded without missing a beat, bowing her head again.

"Ah, please, there's no need for such formalities. Just Hashirama is fine." The man said easily, waving his hands in front of him, whilst still smiling.

Sakura nodded in understanding, watching him intently for him to question her further.

"I realize both of us have some questions for each other, but I am certain you should at least eat first. Aren't you hungry, Sakura-chan?" A low rumbling met their ears, answering the Senju's question.

Sakura's face colored a pretty pink matching her hair, and only reddened as Hashirama let out a laugh and Tobirama returned to stare at her inquisitively. He had a warm, contagious laugh that bounced off the walls, making a ghost of a smile to appear on Sakura's face.

"If I didn't know any better, I would inquire you were attempting to bribe me, Hashirama-sama." Sakura pointed out in an even tone, causing the now baffled wood user to look up at her with a mouth full of rice, eyes wide. "But I have have high doubts that a kind leader as yourself is one to do something of the sort, rather aiming to take a peaceful, negotiable route. Then again, you are a leader of a well-respected clan, so at times you must keep its safety in check at all costs at times too. Nonetheless l will be willing to provide information as requested." The pinkette announced, hoping to be convincing in the slightest.

Besides her actual home identification, Madara's involvement in the war, and revealing her state as a jinchuuriki, the Haruno would reveal what was inquired of her.

Deciding to appease her stomach, the pinkette nibbled on her food carefully, sighing in content as the hot contents travelled down her throat. Years in war meant shortage of food sooner or later, resulting in Sakura taking tiny bites and savoring each portion to help satiate her hunger for longer periods of time.

Tobirama and Hashirama exchanged a brief glance. The meal was not intended to be used to bribe the woman, but they were equally appeased she would enlighten them of some of their inquiries.

After the meal, Hashirama poured jasmine tea for each of them, both Senju returning to keep an even gaze at the Haruno.

"Sakura-chan, I've never heard of the Haruno clan before, why is that?" Hashirama started off, full attention to the pinkette, as was Tobirama, resorting to crossing his arms again but kept his merlot eyes fixated on Sakura's unwavering form.

"That is because I come from a long line of merchants, always moving around as well, until we settled in our village. I decided to become a ninja, which my parents had frowned upon, but sought out and trained under the tutelage of an accomplished medical-ninja. I am what you would call a first-generation ninja in my family."

"Oh? A medic you say?" Brown eyes lit up in an amiable way. Of course he and Tobirama had assumed she, or someone else had healed the rather long wound that obviously pierced through her body, but having it confirmed was still fascinating.

Her head nodded in acknowledgement, verdant eyes softening upon regarding her Shishou.

"She had a deathly fear of blood, but she was able to fight through with it and heal nearly any wound, even life-threatening ones. But I ended up surpassing her." ' _In more ways than one'_ She added mentally, dropping her gaze to subconsciously trace the patterns of her kimono.

"She must have been quite a woman." The wood user added softly.

"Very."

This time it was Tobirama who spoke up. "You showcased a forehead protector with the Kanji for ' _Allied Shinobi Forces'_. Surely that means you being from a village places the notion that you had successfully banded with several other clans and maintained this peace and trust?"

Sakura felt her heart had been squeezed tightly and twisted within her chest cavity, sending her sharp jolts all over her body with her grief once more.

"We did, but not anymore." Sakura's voice became softer, yet deeper, taking on darker undertones as she spoke and prepared to make her explanation, having flashes of memories play out in her mind, mocking her.

"How so...?" He pressed on.

The hands on her lap started making angry circles before closing into tight fists at her sides, wearing and stretching out the material at the hem of her kimono, voice cutting through the air around them like a kunai.

"My village was a safe haven for civilians and ninja in a way, housing people from various clans in the area who joined. Then our village was under attack...by a man who deemed himself a God who would bring the world peace by imposing unrelenting fear upon everyone. He killed children, women, men, everyone in his path and destroyed all the years of hard work with one blast. Many ended up dead afterwards, many of my close comrades were killed, and the rest fought on."

Though not meeting their eyes, she could feel Tobirama's expression soften a bit, whilst Hashirama bore into Sakura's dipped head with remorse.

"Where is he now?" Tobirama asked lowly.

"Dead." Sakura deadpanned, speaking through clenched teeth and sending daggers at her teacup. She was seeing everything clearly like she was experiencing it all over again. The sheer power, terror, shivering, and destruction of Pain's attack and also Madara's involvements.

Drawling out a shaky sigh, she lifted her head heavily, casting crestfallen features at the future founders of her village before mumbling, "Sorry...the memories and pain are still very recent. And as for the dark chakra you both must have realized by now, is part of the sacrifice.

I was taken on the duty to house the powerful chakra as I have perfect chakra control and can keep it harbored within me, but it came at the sacrifice that my remaining comrades knocked me out and took me away from the ruins. And I wasn't able to protect them." Unshed tears made Sakura's pretty green eyes sparkle, body trembling ever-so-slightly.

' _Damn it, don't cry!'_ Sakura silently scolded herself. She had to remain strong, she had a mission to fulfill. Tears would only hunger her and blur her vision and keep her locked in the past.

She then found herself enveloped in a tight embrace of Hashirama, letting out a tiny gasp. She was surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Poor girl." He mumbled into her hair. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You are safe here. I desire the same peace and tranquility within the clans and all become one family. It will not replace your old home, but I promise it will be a place where you and other clans can join together and live in harmony." The kind man spoke softly but was serious with his declaration.

She thought she was going insane, seemingly tense. But when she felt his words were genuine and he didn't pull away immediately, she loosened her coiled muscles and said she was sorry too, letting her eyes close to not look at Tobirama's surprised face but also to revel in the warmth and comfort the future Shodaime Hokage provided her.

"Thank you." Those two words were barely above a whisper, but they screamed with her gratitude.

* * *

Shortly after the embrace, Sakura thanked the two Senju's for the meal and requested she help out in the medical tents, to which Hahsirama complied, albeit not without having her promise not to over-exert herself for the day.

"I won't, don't worry, Hashirama-sama." He nodded eagerly, easily pleased.

"Good! Tobirama, please show her to the tents." Without further instruction, the water-style user stood up and sauntered over to where Sakura was standing a good head shorter than he was, making her crane her neck a bit to meet him in the eye.

With a small bob of the head, he turned towards the compound's medical area.

The crisp breeze ruffled Sakura's bangs, cooling her face with the calming forest scent and song of the wind. The medic kept following Tobirama's back, admiring the deep blue armor with the fluffy fur barely a shade lighter than his hair. Even as he walked, he held a strong, adamant poise that spoke loud and clear that wouldn't take no bullshit.

Few smaller buildings and houses flanked her either side as some fellow clansmen passed the duo, bowing in respect to Tobirama, and sending Sakura looks of curiosity and others held suspicion. She felt at ease with being aware of all her surroundings, but preferred to seem ignorant of the stares and scenery.

Several white tents were huddled together, with a few medics bustling around from patient to patient.

She was brought back from her analysis by the deep baritone sound of the future Nidaime's calm and collected voice, chin tilted to her direction to enable her to hear him better she supposed.

"There has been more distress as of late. More of our clansmen are wounded and there have been hushes of disappearances occurring discreetly. There is consternation of this turn of events. Given your medical prowess, it is in everyone's best interest to help out as much as we are able to and I will assist you in your duties and other sorts if needed. Later you will be given a home to live in close proximity with us, and Mira will go to the merchant shops later with you for some food and supplies." Tobirama was usually a laconic man, words spoken more in his mind than not. But he always spoke of more length when he felt the need.

They both had stopped during his talk, taking in his jutted jaw and furrowed crease of his brow. Sakura caught the glint of boiling anger before averting his gaze to soemthing in the distance. It sent chills down her spine even knowing the menacing glint was not meant for her, but found herself admiring him a bit more, as he was ruffled over the notion of the oncoming trepidation nonetheless.

"I fully intend to help your clan in my power, Tobirama-sama." She was not naive to think she was in the clear with the man, as it would take baby steps for him to open up to a stranger like herself who also contained powerful and deadly chakra that could be used against others. She deemed she would be under his watchful gaze, keeping her living quarters nearby to keep tabs on her activity and possibly from too many prying clansmen as well.

He turned to the woman, seeing the fierce fire that licked inside her emerald orbs with determination and passion set him a bit at ease, albeit only a sliver.

He stayed behind, watching the pink haired enigma as her crafty, dainty hands worked wonders with an illuminating green glow encasing them as she wove broken skin together.

She worked with Mira close by, and the suspisious looks the other women sent her dissolved to that of barely muffled awe as she set a rib in place, and nimble fingers slicing through skin like a knife, cleaning the wound of infection and closing that and many other large gashes without the need for stitches.

The water-style user was impressed, but didn't show it, just kept watch over the medic as she glided from one patient to the next, taking charge with sending others for herbs and bowls of water and other supplies to carry out the procedures without incident.

Several hours later, Sakura wiped some perspiration from her brow with her arm. She could still feel his piercing scarlet eyes on her form. She was slightly pleased with herself that the Nidaime wanted to observe her work even though he wasn't assigned to that task, and he had also acknowledged her skills as a medic and felt she was entrusted with the indirect mission to heal all of the members, which she would gladly do.

But she was slightly unnerved to have him watch so intently as well, every move of hers was analyzed, studied. As time quickly passed and she continued to delve into her work, she found. It easier to dismiss the merlot eyes on her back, rinsing her hands and taking out her hair tie, running her hands to massage through her long locks that were now a silky waterfall of waves from being in a braid. She felt his brisk strides to her position, turning to meet him with a pleasant and tired grin.

"I will take you to your room and you may go shopping for necessities with Mira once we get there. Hashirama set a bag of money on your futon for your use and discretion." At this he abruptly turned and headed off in the direction of his house, Sakura quickly following right behind him, returning some smiles from her fellow medics she worked with earlier.

As Sakura turned to peer at the descending sun over the horizon, she could not ignore the slowly creeping fear that overcame her for a moment. The sun bounced off her orbs, reflecting off light and making them a lime green with the orange tints playing with her complexion. She followed the taller man at a closer distance.

She had a good gut. She always followed her gut instincts, as it brought her that night when Sasuke tried to leave the village, and other instances when she was grateful of her instincts.

Trepidation indeed.

* * *

A shaken image of a little girl lay before him. Her black eyes shown that of unbridled fear, whimpering under his impassive face. His chocolate brown eyes lay half-lidded in disinterest, clearly unamused.

"Smart little girl. Surely she knows what you'll make her do now with that kunai? Hm?" Inquired his partner with a smirk.

The girl flinched at the words, looking at her injured mother lovingly and with desperation.

The woman smiled kindly at her daughter, despite the blood that dripped down her chin as she lay on her stomach, hand gently stroking the girls tear-stained cheek.

The man didn't answer his rather annoying compeer. He lazily lifted his forefinger, making the girl stand up without her own accord. She was in his total control, and she was not skilled enough a shinobi to avoid this situation.

She had fought without fear, throwing herself upon the intruders, but after expert hands took hold of her limbs, she was growing aware of what she would be doing in a minute.

She could not fight against the strong hold even with all her will, the hands that gripped the kunai desperately tried to loosen enough for it to clatter on the floor, but she was inching closer to her incapacitated mother, sniffles and her scratchy voice pleading to stop.

"Say, what age did you have your first kill?" Pressed the man with blue eyes asked.

Chocolate orbs bore into his partner's before answering nonchalantly, "Seven."

"Hm, seems this girl is about the same age."

The girl had listened to the merciless murderers, shutting her eyes tightly and focusing her chakra to try to disrupt this opposing jutsu of theirs.

"Please, let me kill myself instead!" The girl shouted in between sobs.

"It's okay, sweetie." A gentle, bloodied hand caressed the girls cheek again, making her open her eyes at her mother.

"Mommy, I love you." She said in a whisper, her body only shivering a bit since she was still under the man's control.

"And I love you." The woman responded, sending the girl a smile.

Being emotionless was a beautiful thing for the man, otherwise he would be reminded of his memories of his mother. He quickly dismissed it.

"Pathetic."

His hand swiped to the right and the girl struck her mother, blood pooling around them and strewn on her face.

He dropped his control on the girl and she unceremoniously dropped on her knees and enveloped frail arms around her pale mother. Her body wracked with sobs, the green grass around them staining of her mothers blood. The other man made quick work to lift the girl up again, her arms pinching and kicking at him and screaming at him, whilst he gauged out her eyes that glowed of the angry mangekyou sharingan.

The kid was dropped again and she resorted to cradling her dead mother.

Turning away from the scene, the impatient man called to his partner, "Hurry up you imbecile, we wasted enough time as is."

With that they both left a screaming girl in their wake.


End file.
